The first in-depth biography of Sam Francis, the legendary American abstract painter who broke all the rules in his personal and artistic life. Light on Fire is the first comprehensive biography of Sam Francis, one of the most important American abstract artists of the twentieth century. Based on Gabrielle Selz’s unprecedented access to Francis’s files, as well as private correspondence and hundreds of interviews, this book traces the extraordinary and ultimately tragic journey of a complex and charismatic artist who first learned to paint as a former air-corps pilot encased for three years in a full-body cast. While still a young man, Francis saw his color-saturated paintings fetch the highest prices of any living artist. His restless desire resulted in five marriages and homes on three continents; his entrepreneurial spirit led to founding a museum, a publishing company, a reforestation program and several nonprofits. Light on Fire captures the art, life, personality, and talent of a man whom the art historian and museum director William C. Agee described as a rare artist participating in the “visionary reconstruction of art history,” defying creative boundaries among the likes of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning. With settings from World War II San Francisco to postwar Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Los Angeles, Selz crafts an intimate portrait of a man who sought to resolve in art the contradictions he couldn’t resolve in life. " Light on Fire delivers a riveting portrait of a man driven (and riven) by huge appetites: for painting, women, fame, family, philanthropy and, most of all, a desire to pierce the veil separating life and death....Selz, an Oakland-based writer, does so many things right it's hard to know where to begin praise. Her research, based on unfettered access to the artist's archives, is prodigious, yet it never once slows the narrative. The book unfolds like a page-turner, seamlessly integrating biographical facts, historical events, penetrating (if sometimes speculative) psychological analysis, and concise, yet visually evocative descriptions of paintings from each key period of Francis' globe-spanning career, with close attention paid to the relationship between the metaphysical visions that fueled his art and his tumultuous personal life, which included five wives and innumerable lovers." ---David M. Roth, SquareCylinder "Her writing achieves a depth of feeling, marked sympathy, and a grasp of the man as well as the myth, with an insider's knowledge of his gigantic, imperfect life. Elegant and precise, her writing paints a captivating portrait of this complex artist ."—Janet Goleas, East Hampton Star "In Light on Fire, Selz manages to capture the expansive, unwieldy story of Francis — a vivacious, ego-absorbed searcher — in both his intimate and larger-than-life moments." - Lauren Moya Ford, Hyperallergic "Gabrielle Selz comes by her art world chops honestly...Selz's book — five-and-a-half years in the making — sheds new light on this complicated figure." --Paul Wilner, Nob Hill Gazette "Light On Fire traces the peripatetic life and career of Francis over seven decades. The first full biography of the artist, its existence is more than justified by the remarkable facts and dramatic episodes of Francis's life. From childhood trauma, through a succession of life-threatening medical ordeals and prolonged hospitalizations, over five marriages and many more affairs, Francis experienced life at the limits. This book is, writes the author, "first and foremost the story of Sam Francis's tumultuous and multifarious life" (p. 6). Meanwhile, his artistic saga is remarkable in its own right. Francis was, as this book explores, a new kind of international artist, with studios and galleries worldwide. Successful almost from the start of his career, he exhibited his paintings extensively on three continents, as well as producing prints on a prolific scale. Selz, the daughter of Francis's first monographer, the art historian and curator Peter Selz, is uniquely positioned to tell the artist's story. And despite a personal connection, she succeeds at maintaining a scholarly distance, casting Francis as a highly imperfect if charismatic and larger-than-life character." --Stephen Petersen, Leonardo "A comprehensive and impeccably sourced biography of the most important American abstract artists of the 20th century, this book traces Francis' operatic life story." --Shana Nys Dambrot, LA Weekly "I think of Sam as a modern-day Nijinsky with a big loaded brush. He would get on to a canvas and really clean house. Selz's book really captures his spirit."—Ed Ruscha, artist "Drawing on her wide-ranging research, insightful observations, and lucid prose, Selz illuminates the feverish life of a survivor, art world misfit, and master of color and light. Her book offers new insights into the origins of Sam Francis’s dazzling art. It’s a page-turner and a revelation."—Patric